


Blind Leap

by starlabsforever



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Blind Date, F/M, barry and iris playing cupid, cisco and caitlin being forced to confront their feelings, doesn't comply with current canon even a little bit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-22 04:15:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11372382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlabsforever/pseuds/starlabsforever
Summary: Iris and Barry think setting Caitlin and Cisco up on a date is a great idea. Caitlin and Cisco happen to disagree, but not because they're not interested.





	Blind Leap

For four people who knew each other so well, there was an awfully awkward silence hanging over the table where Cisco, Caitlin, Barry and Iris sat. Normally, the four of them could carry on a conversation about anything, but in this fancy French restaurant that had real candles in the goddamn chandelier, they were all at a loss for words. This could have, perhaps, been attributed to the particular grouping in which they sat: Cisco _and_ Caitlin and Barry _and_ Iris.

“Come on,” Barry had told Cisco. “A blind date. It’ll be fun. It’s this friend of Iris’s and she’s awesome and you’ll love her.”

Iris’s words to Caitlin were similar: “It’s one of Barry’s friends from work and he hasn’t been on a date in a while, but he’s really sweet and I just know you guys will get along.”

Although none of their statements were exactly lies, Cisco did not see it that way.

“You lied to me,” he said to Barry across the table. “This is not a blind date. This is a setup.”

“Technically, a blind date is also a setup,” Iris said.

“We didn’t lie,” Barry argued. “She _is_ a friend of Iris’s. You two _do_ get along great.”

Caitlin was fiddling with the sleeve of her purple dress. “I think what Cisco means is, it’s a little dishonest to set up two people who _already_ know each other without their knowledge.”

Cisco nodded. “Right. It’s one thing to set up two people who you think might like each other, but with a pre-established relationship, you don’t really know what you’re dealing with.”

Caitlin started to say something, but just then, their waiter- Theodore, his nametag declared -swooped in and deposited a basket of complimentary rolls on the table and took their orders. He left, and it was as if someone had pressed play on the conversation.

Iris leaned forward. “Listen, you two are _perfect_ for each other.” The two faces across the table regarded her skeptically. She glanced at Barry. “Back me up here.”

Barry had torn into one of the rolls and had taken a huge bite just as Iris turned to him. He swallowed and coughed, his face slightly red. “All of the employees at Los Tacos think you two are a couple.”

“Betrayed by my closest friends,” Cisco said offhandedly. Caitlin’s hands laced together in her lap and her knuckles went white.

“You should give it a try,” Iris said earnestly. “Barry and I did this because it seems like you two don’t do anything for yourselves. Your whole lives are saving the city. You deserve something for yourselves, both of you.”

Their faces softened, and Cisco glanced at Caitlin, but her eyes were fixed straight ahead. When he directed his gaze to Barry, she shot a shy sideways glance at him.

Cisco rested his elbows on the table. Etiquette be damned. “It’s still kind of a biff move to set up two people who are already friends. You never know if those people have ever thought about a relationship-”

“Or maybe they’re just not interested in each other,” Caitlin jumped in. Cisco’s face went pale and he sat even stiffer than before.

Iris glanced at Barry, who was chewing the roll anxiously. “Give this date a chance,” she said. “Just tonight. If it feels wrong, we’ll never bring it up again, but give it a fair chance.”

Cisco and Caitlin didn’t look at each other. Theodore saved anyone from having to say anything by arriving with their drinks. Caitlin’s fingers clenched around her wineglass, hard. Cisco traced a square on the tablecloth with his thumb.

Barry and Iris tried to get a conversation going, but they spent so much time working together that anything they hadn’t all discussed thoroughly felt too trivial. At some point after Theodore brought their meals, Caitlin excused herself.

Cisco watched her leave, and then said, “This must be the part of the night where I get dumped.”

Iris’s brows shot up. “I thought you said you weren’t interested.”

His fingers found the hem of his suit coat. “Because she isn’t.”

“But if she was…?”

“She’s way out of my league.”

“Is not,” Barry said loyally.

“And to be fair,” Iris said, “both of you were sending out more mixed signals than a broken traffic light. I think you should go talk to her about it.”

Cisco stared at the square on the tablecloth. This was all kinds of scary and he didn’t want to risk it. He didn’t want to ruin their friendship, their movie nights, their secrets, their late-night text conversations, the casual intimacy of every moment they spent together…

Then again, maybe he was ruining it by _not_ going for what was right in front of him.

He stood up. “I’ll be right back.” He turned on his heel quickly so he wouldn’t see Iris and Barry’s smug expressions. This was difficult enough without the peanut gallery.

It took him a couple minutes and a couple heavily accented waiters to find the ladies’ room, and when he did, he just hung outside of it awkwardly. He waited several minutes, and the only person who exited was an ancient-looking white lady who looked at him very suspiciously. _Yes, I live here and no, I’m not selling drugs,_ he wanted to say, but he focused his eye on the ball, which was Caitlin. He got so lost in thoughts of _what am I going to say_ and some added _oh crap oh hell no_ that he almost didn’t notice when she walked right by him. His eyes registered the flash of purple and he panicked.

“Caitlin,” he accidentally yelled, and she spun around, bewildered. A severe-looking waiter with a mustache frowned at them.

“Cisco,” she said, regaining her composure, and then the previous air of awkwardness settled back over them like a damp blanket. She hugged herself. “Listen, about this date. You don’t have to- I don’t- I mean-”

“Cait,” he said, but she was on an anxious downhill roll.

She was stammering, gesticulating wildly with her hands. “I know this is weird, and you don’t have to feel like you owe me anything, I don’t have any expectations, this never has to go anywhere, I just-”

Cisco grabbed her elbow and she stopped. “What are you talking about?”

She stared back at him, puzzled. “What are _you_ talking about?”

His brow furrowed as he started to piece the puzzle together. “Why wouldn’t I want this to go somewhere?” he asked slowly.

She tilted her head. “Because you’re not interested?”

Even though he had thought that might be the answer, it still astonished him to hear it said aloud. “Why wouldn’t I be interested?”

Caitlin hugged herself tighter, her fingers gripping her arms. “Whenever the employees at Los Tacos ask us if we’re dating- or anyone -you shut them down so quickly.”

He nodded. “Because I thought _you_ weren’t interested.”

Her eyes widened and instead of relieved, she looked overwhelmed. “Why would you think that?”

“I’m not your type.”

“Funny, smart, and attractive,” she said, and his stomach flip-flopped. “You’re precisely my type.”

 He stepped forward tentatively and she looked at him nervously. He exhaled. “Okay, this has _got_ to end. I like you.”

She stared back at him, so still she might have been holding her breath. “I don’t,” she breathed.

That hit him like a punch in the stomach and he recoiled. “Um, did I misread that? Okay. That’s okay. I’ll just-”

“Cisco, no, that’s not what I meant,” she half-shouted, eliciting another round of glares from the denizens of _La Papillon_. She took a deep breath. “I don’t just like you. I think I’m in love with you.”

He felt his face go hot and his hands go cold. “Huh?” was all he could manage to say.

She swallowed, hard. “I think I’m in love with you,” she repeated, and her voice had a miniscule tremor in it. “And I’m terrified.”

He studied her eyes. “Why?” he whispered.

She shrugged wildly. “Because all kinds of things could go wrong and I don’t want to risk ruining our friendship.”

Cisco took a deep breath to calm his nerves. “Me too.”

Her eyebrows arched anxiously. “You don’t want to risk it?”

He shook his head and stepped closer. “I think I’m in love with you too.”

Caitlin looked down at him- she was slightly taller in her heels -and her eyes were still anxious and shy, but her mouth slid into a tentative smile. “Really?” she asked, with the awe-stricken demeanor of a child receiving a first-place ribbon.

He nodded, and they were a whisper away from liplock. “Really. But I’m also terrified. Can we work around that?”

Even though they weren’t touching, they were so close together that he could feel the nervous energy that was shaking her body. He laid a hand on her shoulder and she tilted her head against it, like she was memorizing his touch. “Say something,” he said in a low voice.

She lifted her head up. “I’m extremely nervous and relieved right now and I need to either throw up or kiss you.”

He stared at her, memorizing her face- the curve of her nose, the rise of her cheekbones, the crinkles around her eyes. He moved his hand from her shoulder to her head and drew her towards him.

She was a sloppier kisser than he’d imagined, but she was soft and gentle and the feeling of her hand on his back alone made him feel like he could die right there. She pulled back, looking at him as if she were seeing him for the first time.

“Hey,” Cisco whispered. “What?”

She was still shaking. “I want this,” she said softly. “I want this more than I’ve wanted anything in a long time. But what if it’s a mistake? What if we don’t like each other anymore? What if we fight all the time?” He put a hand on her elbow to steady her and she breathed, relaxing. “I just- I don’t want to lose your friendship. It’s the most important thing to me in the world.”

“Well, then let’s keep being friends.” She looked at him quizzically. “Who says we can’t be best friends and significant others?”

Caitlin stared at him for a moment. Then her lips turned into a tentative smile. “You’re right. Who says.”

“Things will change,” he said. “I’m not gonna lie, I’m nervous about that too. But I think it’s gonna be a good change, not a bad one.”

Her smile widened, more confident now. Her hand wandered down his back.

He tugged away. “Barry and Iris are waiting for us,” he said.

Her hand tightened on his shoulder. “They could wait.”

His eyes darted around. “As much as I enjoyed kissing you, I’m not sure how I feel about doing it with all these old white people watching us.” He drew in a deep breath. This was happening. “Besides, we should probably finish the first date.”

Her smile was so tender that he thought he might faint. They headed back to the table and silently agreed not to tell Barry and Iris just how right they were. They’d have to tell the entire staff of Los Tacos, too.


End file.
